Arabic Software

This page contains information on some of the Arabic software that is
available. If you know of a software package and would like to add it to our
list along with a brief description of the software and its capabilities,
please send us an e-mail message.

Educational Software

Tareq : Multimedia Arabic course

Didaco, SA, a Barcelona based, Spanish publisher, has in the market a
multimedia, self-teaching Arabic course for English speakers (http://www.arabic-course.com/).
Tareq , the name of the course, is the result of 3 years of work by a team
of Spanish and Moroccan Arabic philologists and has had a most positive
response by experts. For more information, visit the website or contact:

Sakhr Software Company

Sakhr , the world's leading Arabic software company, develops software
specifically tailored to the needs of the Arabic market and the Arabic
speaking population. Sakhr has also developed interactive multimedia
courseware for Arabic as a foreign language (beginning through advanced
levels). This courseware is suitable for both distance learning and for
individualized courses. Sakhr also has a well -developed line of
translation tools, dictionaries, lexicons and wordprocessing add-ons. The
translation tools and dictionaries are freely available online. For
information on these products and for links to the online services go to
http://www.sakhr.com/.

EduMagic's Arabic Language distance learning program

Al- Qaari ' AD- Dawli Arabic International Reader CD-Rom

Gerald Lampe and Samia Montasser of the Johns Hopkins University , School
of Advanced International Studies
This interactive CD-Rom was designed to reinforce reading and listening
comprehension skills. The program focuses on topics in international affairs
including:
* Negotiations
*Trade and Industry
*Political Crisis
*Defense Policy and Strategy
*Finance
*Non-Proliferation

All units provide authentic language material, background information,
vocabulary, pre- and post-text exercises and audio features.
Al- Qaari ' AD- Dawli complements the SAIS Arabic Reader released last year.
It is available as a stand-alone learning tool or in a pack which includes
the book.
To order contact Kendall/Hunt at (800)338-8290 or email: orders@kendallhunt.com

Virtual Conversations TM : Language Program - The
Arabic Series

This series of four Virtual Conversations TM programs for intermediate
Arabic students provides a new approach to language training. Combining
voice recognition and digital video technology, they allow the user to
conduct meaningful, "face to face" dialogues with native Arabic speakers.
Each program features a different Arab character - a soldier, a pilot, an
émigré, and a Kurdish refugee - who reveal their compelling stories as the
user conducts an in-depth interview. Users report this experience "is like
talking to a real person." Scientific testing has established the realism
and proven the educational effectiveness of this experiential learning
method. The programs also include a video instructor who helps with
pronunciation of the phrases needed for the virtual dialogue in either
Modern Standard Arabic or Iraqi dialect.

Elementary Modern Standard Arabic: Computer Companion

EMSA Companion is
now available for both the PC and Mac . It is a multimedia
instructional application designed to complement Elementary Modern Standard
Arabic (EMSA) by Abboud et. al. ( Cambridge Univ. Press). It contains all
vocabulary, all "basic texts," and most drills found in EMSA and allows
students to review, practice, and test on them in an interactive format. In
addition to being a helpful supplement to students enrolled in on-campus
Arabic courses, this software is especially well-suited for those working on
learning Arabic on their own. For more information or to order look under
the software section of:

We are currently working on materials to accompany the Al- Kitaab
textbook series by Brustad , Al- Batal , and Al- Tonsi (Georgetown Univ.
Press). We have basically completed the Macintosh materials for Alif Baa
and Al- Kitaab, vol. 1. We are presently discussing distribution with
Georgetown Univ. Press and will post more information here when we know
more.

Ahlan wa Sahlan, Computer-Assisted Learning for Arabic

Ahlan wa Sahlan is a computer program for first-year Arabic (150 contact
hours) is available from the Ohio State University . It is developed for the
Macintosh and is based on HyperCard 2.1, though the program is delivered as
a stand alone application (work on an upgraded version that incorporates a
video component and is cross platform is underway). The program is designed
to accommodate the absolute beginner as well as the student who has
developed certain abilities in the different language skills. Digitized
voice, printed words, and graphics provide an effective presentation of
material. Drills are designed to ensure proper listening, pronunciation,
word formation, and reading compre hension . Exercises provide further
practice with immediate, informative feedback. Reading comprehension
passages are supported by a variety of exercises and an on-line dictionary
with voice.

The program also has a testing component that comprises 15 Stage Tests.
Each one of these tests covers material equivalent to one credit hour in the
quarter system; thus the 15 tests cover first-year Arabic (150 contact
hours). The computer generates a record for each test taker in which answers
and scores are recorded. Use of this program is required of both, students
enrolled in the classroom track and those registered in the individualized
Center.

The cost is $290 for institutions with a site license for installation on
multiple machines and $188 for students with the right to install the
program on one machine only. Payment by purchase order or check payable to
The Ohio State University (Arabic).

The CALL program can be used with any textbook. It is, however, based on
the series of instructional materials Ahlan wa Sahlan which covers three
years of Arabic. Two years' worth of these materials will be published soon
by Yale University Press. An improved version of the computer program will
also be published by YUP. The materials, however, are currently available
from the following address (textbooks and tapes):

Home Interactive

Home Interactive is involved in development and localizing of high
quality educational & reference Multimedia CD-ROM software in Arabic
language. We carry the Jumpstart series in Arabic version. These CDs are
curriculum based and help on learning the Arabic Language as well as teaches
different subjects. Some of the CDs are bi-lingual. For additional
information please visit our site at: http://www.arabiclibrary.com.

Arabic Language Adventure

A comprehensive interactive guide to learning the basics of the Arabic
language and culture. Step by step it explains the basics of the Arabic
alphabet and grammar. Words are shown in their Arabic script with English
phonetics and even pronounced out loud for you. A section devoted to common
phrases enables the novice to converse in no time and with the support of
three dictionaries ,the proper word is never far away.

The disk traces the fundamental history of the language and its
literature from its pre-Islamic poetry and the influence of the Koran, right
up to the present day. It also contains facts about the Arab population,
culture and customs of the 21 Arab Countries. With full graphics, sound and
the option for the student to record themselves and compare their
pronunciation to a language expert, the disk is a superb tool to introduce
the Arabic language and culture.

Vocab Clinic was developed by a mixed group of non-native and native
Arabic speakers who have either learned or taught Egyptian Arabic over the
past 10 years. It is currently being used by Arabic learners in the
American University, the US and Canadian embassies, various multinational
companies and institutes, and various international aid programs. It has
received excellent reviews in its first two months on the market (released
September 2003). It is currently on sale locally in Egypt, as well as online
through our website. For full details on the software, visit
http://www.egyptianarabic.com/vocabclinic/index.asp.